With 2012 NFL preseason betting action underway, the time is here to start looking at some of the season long props. Here at BetVega, we’re taking a peak at the men that could lead the league in receiving yards this upcoming season.
Of course, with a nickname like “Megatron,” it is hard to ignore Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions in 2012. Johnson led the league in receiving last year with 1,681 yards, and he was clearly the most dominating receiver in the game. Matt Stafford isn’t going to all of a sudden stop throwing the ball all over the place, and defensive backs aren’t suddenly going to be able to stick around with the talent level that the Megatron brings to the table. Should Johnson really be an odds on favorite to be the league leader in receiving yards again? Maybe not quite. That being said though, +250 is definitely a nice return on the most talented receiver in all of professional football.
It’s going to be interesting to see if Andre Johnson could be a threat this year as well. Remember that Johnson only played in seven games in the regular season, and at the end of the year, Matt Schaub wasn’t the team’s quarterback. Now, if the face of the Houston Texans can stay healthy for a full 16-game season, 1,500 yards definitely isn’t out of the question. Getting healthy and staying that way though, is the big time challenge. Johnson is the third favorite behind the other Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals at +700.
There are definitely some options that could be interesting at some big time prices as well. A man like Brandon Marshall is on a new team with the Chicago Bears, and he really might be able to become a Pro Bowl receiver once again. Julio Jones with the Atlanta Falcons averaged nearly 18 yards per reception last year, and now that he has a full training camp and a full preseason under his belt, he might be able to be incredibly dangerous. Both of these receivers currently sit at +1500.
Want to go even further off the board? Why not take a stab at Demaryius Thomas? The Denver Broncos clearly have a heck of a lot better passing game with Peyton Manning calling the shots than they were with Tim Tebow. Thomas averaged 17.2 yards per catch last year, and he was huge in the playoffs, catching the game-winning touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the first play of overtime. It is clear this year that the former first round pick of the Broncos is going to get a heck of a lot more in the way of looks from Manning than he did with any of his previous quarterbacks. The question of which of the Broncos receivers will be the main target for Manning, but Thomas clearly has to be one of the best options; at 25 to 1, he has to be a sexy choice to lead the league in receiving yards.
Odds To Lead NFL In Receiving Yards in 2012
